Practice putting device



Aug. 23, 1955 J. MONTGOMERY 2,716,029

PRACTICE PUTTING DEVICE Filed NOV. 21, 1952 FIG. I.

FIG. 3.

INVENTOR (/OH/V MONTGOMERY 6d kaqd 9 ATTORNEY United States PatentPRACTICE PUTTING DEVICE John Montgomery, New York, N. Y.

Application November 21, 1952, Serial No. 321,856

2 Claims. (Cl. 273,-178) The present invention relates to the game ofgolf, and more particularly to a device for indoor practice of putting.This is a continuation-impart of my application Ser. No. 258,553, filedNovember 28, 1951 now abandoned.

In a game of golf, almost one half of the strokes are putting strokes.It is well known to golfers that many a match has been won or lost onthe putting green and that there skill alone counts, since the weak andlong hitters are on an equal footing. Putting is, therefore, veryimportant and with serious practice can be mastered by any golfer.

During the winter months, when inclement weather makes the golf coursesinaccessible, a golfers putting ability is bound to suffer from lack ofpractice. The present invention, therefore, is designed to enable agolfer to maintain or improve his putting skill by using my practiceputting device which conveniently permits indoor practice underconditions akin to those encountered on a golf course. For thoseinterested in the game it will not only provide a means of practiceputting but also a Stimulating indoor sport.

The prior art devices with which I am familiar are indoor putting gamesrather than devices for the serious study and practice of putting as itoccurs under actual conditions. The prior devices utilize constructionaldetails such as springs, shields, gates, bells, etc., which tend totransform the device into a pin ball game, and proficiency in such agame does not necessarily improve ones golf game.

My device comprises a ramp-like structure having a hole near its raisedend. The other end of the ramp lies flush against the floor, and anapron of flexible material extends from just in front of it up the rampinto the hole and to below the raised end of the ramp.

The object of the present invention is to provide a simple, economicaldevice which will improve ones putting.

A feature of the invention is that it is light and portable and can bequickly and easily set up for instance in any ones living room.

Another feature of the invention is that the rigid ramp and flexibleapron thereon combine to produce a device which approximates conditionssurrounding an actual golf hole.

Still another feature of the invention is an inclined portion of theapron extending through the hole which guides the balls clear of thehole once they have been pntted in.

These and other features of my invention will be clear from the detaileddescription and the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the device;

Fig. 2 is a section on lines 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apron per se.

Figs. 1 and 2 show an inclined ramp of L-shaped cross section comprisinga long leg 1 supported in the inclined position by short leg or wall 4.The end 2 of leg 1 lies flush against the floor while the other end 3 ismaintained above-the floorby leg ,4 ,at a'height sutficient toaccommodate golf balls beneath it. .The. ramp may be made of anysuitable rigid material, suchas metal, wood or plastic. 1 have foundthataconvenientsize forthe ramp is ,8" by 12 and with wall 4'ab out 2"whereby, theend 3 of the ramp is. held approximately 2 away from thefloor. A holeS is centrally located;,in the upper portion of the rampapproximately. 2"'from either side and 1" from end3. Preferably the holehas a diameter of 4%" which corresponds tothat of a reguis cut-inapproximately 1 /2" along each opposed longi tudinal side. Twosemi-circular arcs 10 and 11 are cut in the body of apron 6 andcorrespond to arcs in the circumference of hole 5. Arcs 10 and 11 do notmeet each other but leave a central portion 12 of the apron, about 2"wide, intact. The apron is also cut-in at 13 and 14 on straight lineswhich intersect arcs 10 and 11 to form flaps 15, 16 which surroundapproximately half the periphery of hole 5. The rear end 17 of apron 6,which is equal in width to the width of the rear end portion 3 of theramp 1, is adapted to be folded upon itself, by reason of the arcuatecuts 10 and 11 and the cut-outs 13 and 14 therein, and passed throughthe hole 5 whereby to extend under the rear end portion of the ramp inspaced relation to a point just under the wall 4. Thus, the rear endportion 17 of the apron 6 lies flat on the rug or other floor coveringsupporting the device, with the intact central portion 12 thereofforming a downwardly inclined portion 18, between the forward edgeportion of the hole 5 and the rear end portion 17 whereby a ballentering the hole is accelerated to roll rearwardly thereon to the wall4 and thus clear of subsequently holed balls. Wall 4 rests on end 17near its edge, and the edge is prevented from slipping back and thusallow the incline 18 to sag, by the weight of the ramp, and also by aprojection such as a transverse ridge or bar 20 fastened to 17 at itsedge.

To use the device it is preferably placed on a rug, carpet, or otherfloor covering, which simulates the grass on a putting green. The playertakes a position at any desired distance from the device and places agolf ball at substantially right angles to flap 9 of the apron. He thenstrikes the golf ball with a putter, employing the usual putting form.If the ball is properly hit it will roll up the ramp on apron 6 whoseroughened surface will keep the ball from skidding and the ball willenter hole 3, roll down inclined portion 18, and come to rest on end 17of the apron after being stopped by wall 4 of the ramp. Inclined portion18 is an important feature of the invention in that it accelerates themovement of a golf ball upon entering the hole and clear of it andsubsequently holed balls without in any way interfering with the normalholing of the ball. Thus a player can putt upwards of six golf balls insuccession without stopping. The weight of balls that have been holedtend to hold incline 18 down on the forward edge portion of the hole 5.

If it is found that the floor covering is relatively slippery andpermits movement of the device when balls strike it, the device may beconveniently fixed by placing any weight, such as a book, behind wall 4.

While I havedescribed a preferred embodiment of my invention it will beclear that-minor constructional changes maybe made without departingfrom the spirit and scopeof my invention and I desire, .therefore,-to

be limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

l 1. In a portable device for practicing golf putting comprising aninclined ramp of .L-shaped cross'section having a long and a short leg,the long leg being supported in the inclined position by the short leg,the ramp having at its raised upper end a circular opening through whicha golf ballmay pass, the combination including a continuousapron'of'fiexible material running longitudinally up the ramp andpassing through the golf ball opening and projecting rearwardly belowthe raised upper end of said ramp and under the short leg thereof, therearward end of the apron below said ramp having'a transverse ridgethatbears against the back end of said leg, the portion of the apronintermediate its front and rear portions and near the entrance of saidcircular golf ball opening being partially severed inwardly from eachside of the apron with the edges of the severed portions '4 conformingsubstantially to jacent a portion of the circular perimeter of the golfball opening, the narrow unsevered portion passing down through the saidopening at an angle towards the rear portion of the apron runningbeneath the short leg of the ramp.

2. The combination'of claim 1 in which the apron is madeof roughenedrubberized material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS andbeing substantially ad-

